Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Tortoise Facts You Probably Did Not Know

By Alan Stables


Tortoises are increasingly popular as pets, but many tortoise facts will completely surprise you. In fact, you may well realize that they are much more interesting than what you previously thought. If you want to buy one to keep as pet, you will discover an amazing animal.

Female tortoises will usually burry their eggs close to their burrow. The kids spend 3 to 4 months growing in the eggs. Afterwards, they will hatch out and dig their way out to their mother. The female will provide care for them for the next few months. This motherly behavior is quite different than what is observed among turtles, the tortoise's cousins.

The tortoise's shell is made up of the carapace and the plastron. The carapace, which is the upper part of the shell, comes in a wide array of colors and patterns. There are approximately 40 species of tortoises. Each possesses a carapace with its own unique shape and patterns.

Tortoise's shells differ from those of turtles. The former is optimized to catch as much sun as possible. It also provides protection from predators who struggle to grab the rounded dome. In the case of turtles, the shell is designed in a flatter way, which enhances the swimming performance.

In areas where there is a lot of sun, tortoises absorb sunlight which provides them with vitamins. These vitamins mix with the herbivorous diet of these types of tortoises to produce the calcium and protein that tortoises need to survive. In areas where there is not as much sunlight, tortoises are omnivorous and will eat plants to help get the calcium and protein that they need.

Some tortoises live in fresh water habitats. Since parts of their skin can absorb oxygen, they can spend many months without getting back to the surface. However, most tortoises live on the land. They can sometimes survive without water during many years. They can also live in temperatures as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius).

Buying a tortoise as pet requires significant space. Throughout their entire life, they continue to grow. Some species, like the Galapagos tortoise, can reach up to 5 feet long (1.5 meters). You also need to be prepared to keep them for a very long time since they have the longest lifespans for animals kept as pets. Many will get as old as 100 years old.

It is easy to see how fascinating these animals are when we learn about a few of those mind-blowing tortoise facts.




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